Review of Star Trucker

Initial release date: September 3, 2024

Platforms: Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft Windows

Developer: Monster and Monster

Genre: Simulation video game

Publisher: Raw Fury

Engine: Unity

In general, I don’t have much patience. I’ve been known to sit outside the window for two days straight, like a dog with a leash in its mouth, waiting for a package. I have tossed more than one IKEA flat-pack across the room. In terms of gaming, I plan to compile a list of all the texts I’ve sent Adam while attempting to complete all Soulslike games. Which is why I was astonished at how much I connected with the Star Trucker demo earlier this year. It was peaceful, calm, and completely meditative at the time. I can only assume I was breathing paint fumes inadvertently that day, or that I had gone past a little puppy on my way home from work, and was noticeably more relaxed than usual.

Because returning to Star Trucker revealed a new story, one packed with peril and near-misses, hull breaches, asteroid collisions, and at least one cargo container that I sincerely hope burnt up on re-entry before annihilating a whole country.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Star Trucker delivers exactly what you put in. The game serves as an odd sort of reflection of your emotions. It’s a pleasure to approach it with your feet firmly elevated, encased in your most comfortable fluffy leggings. Pick it up on a horrible day when even the clouds are driving you crazy with how slowly they scud about, and you’ll have a completely different experience.

Star Trucker isn’t a difficult game. It’s not a fast-paced thrill ride. There is danger, but it is a slow-burning danger, similar to neglecting to notice your significant other’s new haircut. You won’t realize you’re in any kind of trouble half the time, as a faint tiny alarm warns you there’s a hull breach someplace, but the oddly fantastic Country soundtrack drowns it out, and these custard creams aren’t eating themselves.

In many aspects, it resembles Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It’s a second-job game, and as with many real-world occupations, much of it is monotonous. The primary loop involves traveling to space stations to retrieve cargo and then transferring it to its destination without unintentionally dropping it on a random moon. There are other additional issues along the route, such as maintaining your rig. You may change the intrusiveness of this in the options, but the default setting keeps you on your toes.

The entire setup is powered and has a control panel. Oxygen, gravity, and electricity must be turned on, and your truck requires gasoline. If you take a couple too many asteroids, you’ll have to go out in your space suit and patch up the hull, which is much more frustrating if you try to rush it. Similarly, neglecting to turn things off before removing a fuse or power cell might result in the entire system tripping out, which is anything but relaxing as you float around bouncing off the walls, trying not to take cargo boxes to the nads while struggling to reset the breakers. This is the most thrilling aspect of Star Trucker, unless you consider spending half an hour attempting to repair a misplaced trailer before it crashes into the nearest sun.

I struggled the most with the controls. Switching out of cockpit view reverses some of the controls, while the external view appears strangely detached. Hooking up to trailers or docking stations was difficult for the first several hours until I got my brain around it, and leveling the rig for any reason is an exercise in attrition.

However, there are some wonderful elements. One is the CB radio, which allows you to speak with a group of other truckers who will occasionally direct you to jobs or converse and fill up some narrative. You have a few chat options, but they do not change much. Another feature is the talent tree, which replaces traditional perks with new licenses such as the ability to carry fragile, heavy, or perishable products further and further away, often with additional requirements such as time constraints. Reckless driving, missing deadlines, and losing your load all result in significant fines.

You can invest your hard-earned money to make your rig seem nicer, but you’ll really need it for fresh power cells and parts. Rigzilla (as I informally christened my truck) is a thirsty mistress, and you’ll need to keep her purring if you want to make the next long-haul delivery.

What Star Trucker lacks, Hardspace has: a sense of humour. There is some good-natured banter on the CB, but the contracts you sign to take assignments are disappointingly straight, which seems odd to pull the realism button on while you’re operating an American big-rig between two little greeny-blue planetoids with a container full of “medical gel”.

So Star Trucker is an unusual one to recommend. If you enjoy truck simulators, it may not be realistic enough, and if you enjoy space-based smuggling games like Elite: Dangerous, it may not provide enough thrills and spills. But it’s a beautiful-looking game at moments, with some incredible views of outer space and some truly original ideas. To get the most out of it, all you’ll need is saintly patience.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 82%

Controls – 80%

Aesthetics – 85%

Content – 78%

Accessibility – 83%

Value – 80%

Overall Rating – 81%

VERY GOOD!

Summary: “Star Trucker” offers a unique blend of space trucking and exploration, bringing an engaging twist to the genre. The gameplay is solid, with a mix of delivery missions, space travel, and resource management. However, some may find the missions a bit repetitive after a while. The controls are generally smooth but can feel slightly clunky during certain navigation maneuvers. Visually, “Star Trucker” impresses with colorful, vast space environments and cool vehicle designs. The content is fairly robust, though it lacks the depth to keep players hooked for long sessions. Accessibility is well-managed, making it approachable for newcomers. Overall, “Star Trucker” is a fun, immersive experience for space enthusiasts and those looking for something offbeat in the trucking genre.